


Who Dares To Love Forever? - Accidental Marriage

by mansikka



Series: Who Dares To Love Forever? [13]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, M/M, POV Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23544139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: A difficult meeting at the Clave forces a conversation about the one thing Magnus and Alec aren’t ready to even think about. After much reflection and research, Alec embarks on a journey to become immortal. Though with ceremonies to perform, sacrifices to be made, and an unexpected ‘gift’ from an absent Asmodeus, what will they both have to endure, to get their truly happy ever after?
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Who Dares To Love Forever? [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602904
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95
Collections: SHBingo





	Who Dares To Love Forever? - Accidental Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is for bingo square _Accidental Marriage_

"No don't—"

A soft, warm tickle swept over the back of Magnus' hand and over his palm, sealing his fingers against the vase he'd been about to inspect. Though it wasn't that warmth that truly grabbed Magnus' attention. It was Alec Lightwood, newly appointed Head of the New York Institute, his hand wrapped around his forearm in an effort to tug him away.

Alec's warning came too late. Magnus watched in fascination as the soft warmth took on a shimmering, golden glow that crept up over his arm and wove its way around Alec's. Sealing them together with no way to take it back. Magnus continued to watch the glow wrapping itself around them, sealing them off from the world in a soft, comforting cocoon. The muffled footsteps and voices of those around them—many of the newly-established Downworld Council members along with Alec's _brother and sister_ of all people—reached Magnus only as an afterthought. Alec's eyes, wide in surprise as he turned to face him, were not fearful as Magnus had expected, but curious. Even perhaps a little amused. Exasperated? Hopeful? Absently like he was viewing himself from a distance, Magnus told himself not to be concerned as he took the time to really appreciate the shade of Alec's eyes.

When the light had finished its weaving around them, Magnus jolted for a hard, sharp sting at his chest, quickly pulling back his shirt to inspect. For the golden _rune_ now etched into his skin Magnus' heart began to race, though only a burst of surprised laughter escaped from his mouth when he looked up to find Alec pulling back _his_ shirt to reveal the rune on his skin as well.

"We're done here," Alec called out when he made eye contact with him again. Magnus told himself his stomach _didn't_ jolt at the depth and authority in Alec's voice that sent their company from the room. He'd been feigning disinterest in the Shadowhunter ever since he'd called to arrange a meeting not long after he'd taken over as Head. Now he was alone with him. The air bristled with anticipation and a certainty that somehow, everything would be alright.

Alec Lightwood was _different_. Thoughtful, compassionate, and with a good heart under that sometimes-stern exterior that Magnus really hadn't noticed was beautiful at _all_. Magnus had avoided close contact with most Shadowhunters because of his bitter mistrust of the Clave, though Alec's sweet and open words when they'd first met had won him over. His _words;_ not the sparkle in his eyes, that hair Magnus was desperate to get his fingers through, or that sinful rune up his neck that Magnus had spent _many_ hours imagining licking and nibbling his way up the length of. It had been a long while since _anyone_ had stirred similar feelings in Magnus. Certainly none he could recall that were as strong, anyway.

Magnus cleared his throat forcing his thoughts back from wandering, the resounding click of the door behind them a reminder they were alone in the room. Alec kept his eyes on his, staring back at Magnus with such intensity that he was sure he was holding his breath. Alec quickly glancing towards the door broke him out of it a little, leaving Magnus clearing his throat for a second time.

"Magnus. Do you think you could give us some—ensure us some privacy?" Alec asked with a nod towards the doorway.

Without looking away, Magnus snapped his fingers and pulsed magic to lock the door. "Is that private enough?"

Alec's smile was soft, teasing even. "Well. For _now_."

"Good."

"Magnus. Do you understand what just happened?"

Alec gestured towards the harmless-looking vase giving it a quick glance over before looking back at Magnus with an expression he couldn't read. Magnus looked the vase over without moving closer to it. Short, clay, glazed with an intricate pattern of woven roses and symbols he couldn't clearly make out. He had seen similar things before; obelisks for fertility and good health, for example. Though this joint _venture_ by the Downworld Council to clear an old building of Shadow World artifacts hadn't really prepared them for anything; much less a situation like _this_. Magnus' instincts were usually better to not reach out and touch, but he'd been drawn to the object from across the room. When he'd heard _Alec's_ voice, Magnus realized, trying not to dwell on it.

"No," Magnus replied, even if he did have an inkling. He told himself the excitement coursing through him was part of the enchantment and nothing to do with his own will. Obviously.

Alec waved towards the artifact again. "This is the Betrothal Vase. I'm sure you've heard of it?"

Magnus' stomach clenched again; he couldn't distinguish the nerves he felt from his excitement. "But of course. Though I thought it was only one of your legends."

"All the legends are true," Alec replied, picking up the now-inert vase and holding it in his hand, moving it as though testing its weight.

Magnus knew this _betrothal vase_. This, according to legend and myth, was put on Earth by the angels themselves, meant to bind those destined to be together in an angelic _ceremony_. If the person handling the vase was in the vicinity of the person they were _meant_ to be with, the vase would light, and draw the other person closer, until they came into contact. That glow he'd seen. That glow he'd _felt_. Magnus swallowed as he composed himself enough to look up at Alec, giving him a hesitant smile.

"So this… you know what this means," Alec added, swallowing nervously himself as he gently tipped the vase into Magnus' hand. Magnus explored the surface of it now that he was free to do so—as he'd intended when touching it earlier—taking his time to answer.

"Well. If those _legends are true_, then I believe you and I were just wed."

Alec nodded back, his eyes never leaving Magnus'; for reasons he didn't want to explore the gesture left him feeling reassured. "Yes. We are. Were."

"I see."

"This isn't quite what I had in mind for a new alliance here in New York."

"No. I imagine not."

"I'm not saying I don't want it. I mean, I'm not saying I _do_. I just—"

"I understand," Magnus told him, cutting Alec off with a finger up at his lips, his heart giving a hard thud for the look in Alec's eyes as he followed it when Magnus dropped his hand back down by his side.

"We'll have some… _adjustments_ to make," Alec added with a tiny frown as he licked his lips. Which Magnus did not track the movement of at _all_.

"Well. Since our _research _here today, I imagine, is done, perhaps we should go somewhere. To discuss the… implications of this."

Alec nodded, his smile bright as he pulled his phone from his back pocket, eyes still on Magnus as he called instructions through to the Institute to say he would be away for the next couple of hours. "I'm all yours."

Magnus couldn't help his chuckle, especially for the way Alec's eyes grew startled and round. "Really, now."

Alec opened his mouth to speak then closed it again, his lips curving into a smile that said he knew he was being teased. Alec squared his shoulders, clasping his hands behind his back. "Where do you suggest?"

Would it be too much to whisk Alec away to some exotic location? Magnus wasn't sure. But with the euphoria from their _connection_ still pulsing through his veins, he chose to risk it. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Excellent." Magnus snapped his fingers and conjured his magic in a high, swerving arc of his arms; a little showier than necessary, but he had an audience to impress. A _husband_, he amended to himself as he opened a portal, flutters in his chest telling him both not to get ahead of himself, and to embrace this change of events for all that it was.

The warmth of Alec coming to stand by his side should not be as thrilling as it was. Magnus cleared his throat, offered Alec a small smile, waiting for him to say something.

Alec licked his lips, still apparently unable to take his eyes off Magnus as he gestured at the portal. "Lead the way."

* * *

Being married to Alec was… quite the adjustment for Magnus to have to make in his life. First for the initial days when they had been bombarded with questions by the Clave about their _union_, and then the Accords picked apart in fine detail to determine how they should live. There was no way to break the bond, both of them risking irreversible harm if either of them tried. In all those meetings Magnus had learned that the gold runes over their hearts would loosen their hold at some point. The legends they read spoke of love being forged in the time it took for the runes to disappear—or a couple learning that they were better off apart.

Magnus' second adjustment to being Alec's husband was far easier; far more natural than he could have hoped for—despite the unusual circumstances throwing them together. Since their bond kept them close, causing them both agony when too far apart or for too long, Magnus had invited Alec into his home, preparing him a guest room with every comfort he could afford him, which was many. Though the bond seemed not to approve of that distance either; at least when either of them tried to sleep. They had shared a bed since their third night of marriage, quickly adapting to one another's routines. Magnus could no longer fall asleep if Alec wasn't right there by his side, and it was obvious from the sleepy look on Alec's face seeking him out in the middle of the night when Magnus was fixing potions that he couldn't sleep without him either. They fit together, easily and without argument; in many ways, it felt too good to be true.

Though that wasn't to say they didn't face difficulties as a newlywed couple. Alec's work as Head of the New York Institute often clashed with Magnus' role as High Warlock, both of them quickly learning to separate their work roles from their personal lives. Not that their _personal lives_ were all that… personal, yet. Magnus wanted Alec, and through their bond, he could tell Alec felt the same. Their hesitance was founded on resistance against being forced together; even though _feelings_ had evidently been there for them both before encountering that vase. Catarina accused Magnus of being stubborn for it, while Ragnor used far harsher, more crass words. Alec's siblings were no better, though Magnus couldn't help be charmed by their efforts to welcome him into their family.

A family who were expecting Magnus to join them for dinner. Magnus checked the time on his phone, cursing under his breath for getting carried away with a potion he was making. With a snap of his fingers, he readied himself, smiling for the vase of flowers on the coffee table as he rushed around the apartment, quickly putting out food for their cats Chairman Meow and Church. Alec had been buying him flowers ever since moving in, the sweetest gesture that never failed to brighten Magnus' day. Magnus sighed for the generosity of his husband, wishing he could kiss him in thanks for those flowers and all his other gifts.

Magnus pushed the thought from his mind as he conjured then stepped through a portal for knowing if he didn't rein those feelings in, they would be written all over his face when he saw Alec. Alec who would kiss him on the cheek in greeting anyway before resting his hand on Magnus' lower back to lead him into the restaurant, always the most chivalrous, considerate man.

Alec who was stood beside the railing around the entrance to the restaurant with a vicious scowl on his face. His hands were wedged deep in his pockets, and his eyes fixed on the floor in front of him, his expression telling Magnus he wasn't seeing a thing.

"Alexander?" Magnus asked, gently squeezing his arm as he came to a stop in front of him, alarmed for Alec looking so dazed when he looked up. Magnus knew relief to see the way Alec's face softened for seeing him, and the relief in Alec's eyes he knew was for him. Magnus could feel it too, gentle waves settling the turmoil in Alec that Magnus was surprised he hadn't felt sooner for the force of it. "What happened?"

"My _Dad_," Alec said before blurting out the latest drama involving Robert Lightwood and his affairs. Magnus was happy to have Alec in his life; more than happy. He had grown to care for his siblings, and even Maryse Lightwood, whose initial hostility faded within a matter of days to be replaced with motherly affection Magnus could never have dreamed of receiving. Robert Lightwood, however, Magnus could happily do without in any aspect of their lives. He listened in sympathy to Alec's news, wanting to do anything to put a smile on his face again.

"I am sorry," Magnus said when Alec had finished, watching Alec slump back against the railings in defeat.

"Dinner's off, obviously," Alec added with a careless wave behind him. "They only just finished arguing. I didn't have time to call you, so I came to meet you here. Magnus, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Magnus told him, squeezing his arm. "We can have dinner with them another time."

"I guess."

"And there is nothing preventing _us_ from eating now. Unless of course, you have no appetite?" Alec always forgot to eat and drink when he was worrying over things out of his control.

"I am hungry," Alec admitted with a pinched smile. "But I can't face eating _here_."

"Then, I will go in to notify the staff that the reservation is canceled. And while I do, you can be thinking of what you want to eat. Anywhere you like."

"Thanks, Magnus," Alec said, toying with Magnus' fingers before he withdrew them from his arm. The easy intimacy that had developed between them was beautiful to Magnus, though also a sort of torture for wanting even more.

"So? Where do you want to go?" Magnus asked when he stepped back outside, pleased to see Alec had relaxed a little. Alec's smile stole his breath, though not as much as Alec holding out his arm gesturing for Magnus to slot his hand through.

"Follow me," Alec replied, squeezing Magnus' arm in the crook of his elbow.

* * *

Bacon burgers from the East Village eaten as they walk through Tompkins Square Park. Of course this was what Alec would have wanted for dinner. Alec respected all the things Magnus could do for him but never for a moment took advantage of his magic. If Magnus wasn't already fighting off the realization that he was in love with Alec, this most simple of requests certainly went some way to stealing his heart.

Alec, oblivious to his musings, fought with a stray pickle trying to escape his burger, making the most endearing squeak as it fell out. The pout on his face when Magnus looked was impossible not to smile for, and next to impossible to resist the urge to kiss off. Though Magnus did, because if they'd both learned anything over these past few months together, it was the art of restraint. Even if at times it was beyond Magnus' understanding why they had chosen to wait so long.

"Better?" Magnus asked pressing a napkin into Alec's hand. _Better_ could mean anything; sated hunger, improved mood. Alec's smile was one of gratitude as he nodded in answer, devouring that last of his burger without a single word.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out the way we planned this evening," Alec said after crumpling up his napkin and paper to toss into a nearby trashcan.

"Well. As much as I am sorry for what happened, I am _not_ disappointed."

"No?" Alec asked, with a tinge of hope that Magnus' heart thrummed for.

Feeling brave, Magnus slowly shook his head before wriggling his fingers, offering Alec his hand. "No."

Alec's hand was warm in his, a source of comfort Magnus had only learned the pleasure of. Though their bond brought comfort and spoke of the things they couldn't voice out loud, moments of physical touch between them were the things that made Magnus whole. Even if they _both_ would feel more whole for giving in to what they were feeling.

They began a walk through the city, another simple activity Magnus had grown to enjoy sharing with Alec; one of so many, in fact. Being married to Alec was a simple existence for all of the possibilities of its complexities. As they walked they talked about so many things, Magnus forever in wonder that they never ran out of things to say. Alec was so fascinated by the life Magnus had led before him, and so knowledgeable about so many subjects. His childlike wonder when Magnus portaled them to far off destinations, or even took Alec on a tour of Mundane zoos endeared Alec more to Magnus by the moment. He was _hopeless_ for his husband; Magnus longed for the day they both gave in to what was so obviously between them.

Alec's glimpses at him told Magnus the same, a sense of yearning seeping through his bond that had Magnus almost reaching for him time and time again. What were they waiting for? Hadn't enough time passed for them to realize just how compatible they both were? Stubbornness, something that Magnus often found adorable in Alec in the right context, was a trait he currently loathed that they both shared.

Though something was shifting for them. As they turned the final corner on the block leading to their apartment, Magnus could sense something stirring awake in his core. Could this be their moment? Could this be when they both finally gave in?

Alec's brow furrowed as he brought them to a stop on the sidewalk, carefully holding Magnus by the forearms; not too close, yet not too far away. Magnus watched him lick his lips and clear his throat, before Alec's eyes grew wide in surprise. His fingers dug in deeper to his arms as he leaned back, the corners of his mouth curving up into a smile.

"Magnus?"

* * *

"I didn't even get to _kiss_ you?" Alec says when they find themselves back in their chamber, Alec still clutching on to his arms. Magnus smiles at him raising his hands to rest on Alec's chest.

"No. I suppose you didn't."

"Huh."

Magnus smiles against Alec's mouth as he kisses him, leaning in and happy to be kissed for as long as Alec wants to make up for it. He tucks his thumb through the buttons in Alec's shirt to swirl over his skin, thinking it has been far, far too long since they really touched.

For the glint in his eye, Alec knows what he's thinking, cupping his face between his hands before kissing him again. "No."

"No, what, Alexander?"

"We're not doing _that_, here."

"Since when do you object to any such thing _anywhere_; least of all outside?"

"Magnus," Alec says in _that_ voice, which is cruel, really. He doesn't even need to say anything else. Magnus' stomach is already clenching in the way it does when far more appealing activities than going back through that mirror are on the table.

"Fine," Magnus says with a put-upon sigh as he tugs Alec back towards the mirror. If these dimensions aren't over for them soon, Magnus thinks he might try blasting his way through the rock to get them out.

Alec drops his hand, squeezing Magnus' hips from behind, pressing a kiss of promise behind his ear that sends a shiver down his spine. He takes his hand again as they stand in front of the mirror, holding his palm flat against it watching it begin to seep through. Magnus sighs, having half-hoped the mirror would be closed to them. He squeezes Alec's hand as he squares his shoulders, once again pulling him through.

* * *


End file.
